GPU-based video decoding

A new GPU-based video decoding algorithm for the company’s media server line up is making its debut at IBC.

The Wings Vioso RX software now has an algorithm that uses specialised GPU instructions instead of regular CPU processes.

AV Stumpfl said that, in the past, decoding of compressed video content has been done in the CPU of a media server and the decoded data was transferred via the PCI bus to the GPU for playout. Using the newly implemented technology, the data is transferred still compressed over the PCI bus, and unpacked and decoded in the GPU.

This way a far higher bandwidth and more decoding power becomes available, which results in higher image quality, more concurrent video layers and higher resolutions on the same physical hardware platform.

The company said that the current Wings Vioso platform has no content limitations, even if they exceed the maximum texture dimensions of the GPU, but the new compression technology is a good solution to fill the gap between uncompressed and regular video compression algorithms.